Drive reducers for tape recorders are especially important for linear magnetic strips arranged on flat cards, photographs, or other generally planar supports offering only a relatively short length of tape recording medium. To record the longest possible message on such a limited length of recording tape, it is important to drive the tape past a magnetic head as slowly as practical. Also, a tape drive must be uniform, smooth, and vibration free to a constant speed to preserve the fidelity of the recording and playback. A drive reducer for a tape recorder must also be economical, compact, reliable, and long-lived.
The best prior art drive reducer for a tape recorder as known to applicant is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,872,501 issued to Donald F. McPherson on Mar. 18, 1975 and entitled DRIVE FOR A LINEAR PLAY ADAPTER FOR A CASSETTE TAPE RECORDER. The drive reducer of this patent was suggested for an adapter for a tape recorder, but it could also be used for any tape recorder using a relatively slow advance rate for the tape recording medium.
The present invention improves over the prior art in making a drive reducer that is more compact and also smoother and more vibration free and has a simpler configuration with fewer moving parts to result in improved economy, reliability, and longevity. The inventive improvement also applies to both independent tape recorders and adapters or accessories for tape recorders and is especially useful wherever a relatively slow and vibration free advance of a tape recording medium is desired.